Well there isn't any information because there hasn't been any recorded case of a .50 caliber BMG rifle used in any crime or instance. None what so ever. Here's a couple quotes that might help you make up your decision, remember I never said it, they did.

"They can pierce the skin of an aircraft," said Daniel R. Vice, a lawyer with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a central supporter of the law. "It could be used to shoot down an airplane. And we certainly don't want to wait until a terrorist buys one before we ban it."

Any kind of round can basically pierce the skin of an aircraft. Besides a single bullet hole won't destroy the plane and if I am correct the single hole won't cause a huge disruption like you see in movies. That is complete BS.

Also just to think about this, imagine how many rounds of .50 cal it took for a fighter plane in WWII to bring down another plane. It would take at least a couple hundred rounds, not to mention explosive and incendiary rounds are illegal for civilian use in the U.S., also not to mention how difficult (in fact impossible) to shoot down a moving plane with a single shot .50 caliber. If you don't believe me, do some research around it. Firearms experts tend to be more knowledgable than politicians and lobbyists.

Actually, I think 50's have been used 3 or 4 times in crime. Usually not the primary weapon involved. If I'm not mistaken, that Colorado (did I get the state right) tractor dude had a .50 BMG in the tractor but didn't actually fire it.

And, broadening the spectrum, there's probably been one or two uses of something like a Desert Eagle in .50AE...

Bill W
San Jose

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Bill Wiese
San Jose, CA

CGF Board Member / NRA Benefactor Life Member / CRPA life memberNo postings of mine here, unless otherwise specifically noted, areto be construed as formal or informal positions of the Calguns.Netownership, The Calguns Foundation, Inc. ("CGF"), the NRA, or my employer. No posts of mine on Calguns are to be construed as legal advice, which can only be given by a lawyer.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by cg:
Just think, have you heard of anyone ever being killed by a .50 bmg? There is your answer. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

“Weaponry: .50 Caliber Rifle Crime”, Report no. OSI-99-15R, revised Oct. 21, 2001, published by the General Accounting Office, which can be found here.

According to this report, there have been 18 cases of .50's used in crime. Most of these cases are bogus in that the .50 was found during subsequent searches, but not actually fired. The only case cited where a .50 was allegedly fired was the Waco incident.

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"Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.

I've been doing some research on this issue, and while I find it amusing, it doesn't surprise me.

The GAO report tries to answer the question "Are .50 caliber semiautomatic rifles associated with criminal activity?", yet it doesn't. It uses guilt by association to imply that possession of .50 caliber rifles is a problem even if they're not actually used in a crime. This is equivalent to saying cars are a "problem" because most criminals possess one.

The report concludes "We have established a nexus to terrorist
groups, outlaw motorcycle gangs, international drug cartels, domestic drug dealers, religious cults, militia groups, potential assassins, and violent criminals." Wow! To make such a conclusion based on only 18 cases is certainly a stretch. And motorcycle gangs! How do motorcycle gang members tote .50 around on a motorcycle? On a sling? In a scabbard?

The most handwringing criticism of .50s that I've seen is the claim they can be used to shoot down commercial airliners. One wonders how they've come to this conclusion. Many WWII fighters were armed with 4-8 .50 caliber Browning machine guns, and it still took multiple passes and several second bursts to bring down large bombers, which are the rough equivalent of a modern airliner. To expect a terrorist to shoot down an airliner travelling at several hundred miles an hour with a single-shot .50 is about equivalent to winning the lottery.

Assuming a terrorist is lucky enough to hit a plane, causing a crash is far from a foregone conclusion. Anyone who believes otherwise has probably seen too many movies where a single shot inside a plane causes explosive decompression and sucks half the passengers through the gaping hole before the plane crashes in a ball of fire. The truth is, a single (or even several) .50" hole in the fuselage of a modern airliner is easily compensated for by the plane's cabin pressure control system. Explosive decompression is a myth.

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"Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.

OK, after quite a few searches, I was able to find references to two distinct crimes, during the course of which, a .50 caliber weapon was actually fired. In one case, it didn't cause any reported damage.

But in the attack on an armored car in Chamblee Georgia, a .50 was used as the principle weapon to assault the armored car. Funny thing too, the guy charged was a local SWAT cop, gone bad. The very SWAT cop who'd instigated having his unit buy the very .50 weapon that was used in the crime. Ironic isn't it. Cop uses duty weapon illegally.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by pipskicks:
I have seen many people talk about how the .50 cal has never been used in a crime in either CAlifornia or the whole United States, does anyone have the actual data for this?

I am writing an opinion article in my school newspaper, this is why I ask... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just curious... which way will your bias lean? You said it was an opinion piece, right?